Are you concerned about someone who is experiencing homelessness?
If a person is an immediate risk to themselves or others, or appears to be under the age of 18, contact the police on 000.
Let us know External link of any welfare concerns, or if you see any accumulated items in public spaces, and we’ll get our Daily Support Team to assist.
What is Make Room?
Make Room provides secure supportive housing for people experiencing rough sleeping or chronic homelessness in the City of Melbourne for up to 12 months or until they can secure access to long-term housing.
We know that people can re-take control of their lives when housing is available. However, without a supply of secure housing options in inner Melbourne, people will continue to end up sleeping on our streets.
The Make Room project is an adaptive reuse initiative that has transformed a Council-owned building located at 602 Little Bourke Street into specialist supportive housing for up to 50 residents.
Make Room provides secure supportive housing for people experiencing rough sleeping or chronic homelessness in the City of Melbourne for up to 12 months or until they can secure access to long-term housing.
We know that people can re-take control of their lives when housing is available. However, without a supply of secure housing options in inner Melbourne, people will continue to end up sleeping on our streets.
The Make Room project is an adaptive reuse initiative that has transformed a Council-owned building located at 602 Little Bourke Street into specialist supportive housing for up to 50 residents.
Key features of Make Room include:
- 50 studio apartments
- 24/7 front-desk security concierge
- mental health, housing, legal and living skill services
- allied health services, like dentistry, podiatry and women’s health specialists
- a social enterprise located on-site to support employment and training opportunities.
- the Phoenix Floor – a safe and affirming space for women who have experienced family violence
- a focus on cultural safety
- First Nations artwork
- a rooftop garden and communal space for residents.
Homelessness affects people from all sections of the community. It can occur when people experience a crisis such as job loss, grief, or family violence. It can also be experienced by people who may have struggled with poverty and disadvantage all their lives. Everyone’s experience of homelessness is unique, and it can happen to anyone at any point in their lives.
Make Room supports some of our community’s most vulnerable people to give them the best possible chance to put homelessness behind them and get their lives back on track.
You can find out more about Make Room at Participate Melbourne External link or Unison External link, or email makeroom@unison.org.au.
A unique partnership
We partnered with the Victorian Government and Unison Housing, a registered community housing provider, and key philanthropic and corporates to make room for people experiencing homelessness in the City of Melbourne.
Experienced community housing provider Unison Housing developed 50 self-contained studio apartments alongside a purpose-built rooftop garden and on-site support spaces. Unison Housing manages the tenancy and works with community health organisation cohealth and Ngwala Willumbong, a state-wide Community Controlled Organisation serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to provide wraparound health and social supports. This helps to prepare and transition people into longer-term sustainable housing. Make Room residents can stay for up to 12 months, or until they can be connected with long-term secure housing.
Construction work on Make Room was completed in October 2024. Unison Housing has commenced bump in and setting up the fully furnished apartments, ground floor and basement areas. This will take four to six weeks.
Gradual tenanting of the site will commence in late January 2025. This will be managed by Unison Housing, cohealth and Ngwala Willumbong,and will be directly supported by the Melbourne Homelessness Service Coordination Project. This will be a gradual process over a number of months (five to eight residents per week) to ensure each resident receives the tailored support and care they need to achieve their long-term housing goals.
This video includes a range of images showcasing a central-city building that has been newly fitted out with fully-furnished studio apartments, consulting rooms for allied health services, and a rooftop garden.
While we see these images, we hear from a some of the Make Room project's key stakeholders, who are shown sitting in various locations around the building.
Lord Mayor Nick Reece: "Make Room is a place that will change lives, it's a place that will save lives. It will help people transition from rough sleeping and help them on that journey to finding permanent accommodation.
This building is many decades old but we identified recently that it was surplus to need, so rather than sell it or have it demolished we have had it repurposed.
Make Room has partnered with Unison, an amazing housing provider, as well as cohealth. So providing everything from dental services, GP services, other health services, employment services to help people get the care they need, the support they need."
James King, Unison Housing CEO: "I don't think I can put into words the need that Make Room provides for, within the City of Melbourne. Everyone walking down the street sees really vulnerable people that are rough sleeping in the city because of not only the housing crisis but the cost of living crisis.
And for the City of Melbourne step up and put forward the property and back this project to address a critical need in their community, it's them speaking to their community saying that we don't want this in our city if we're going to be the best city in the world."
Harriet Shing, Victorian Minister for Housing: "We know that it takes a range of different skillsets and priorities to help people who are most in need.
Whether it's accessing frontline services, moving into a space where people can be safe and secure, where people have independence and can live on their own terms. It means that we're helping people to get back on their feet."
Lord Mayor Nick Reece: "Make Room has truly been a team effort involving the City of Melbourne the Victorian Government and an incredible philanthropic community we have in the city.
These are big challenges for our city. They require a big response. We've shown with Make Room that we're ready to step up."
The video ends with the City of Melbourne logo and website address: melbourne.vic.gov.au
Our investment
Getting people off the streets and connecting them with support services is the first step in the pathway out of homelessness.
Make Room is an ambitious project and we have not done it alone.
Our investment includes dedicating a Council-owned building worth more than $12 million.
A further $16.1 million was secured to help fund the conversion of the building into 50 studio apartments including:
- A $9 million commitment from the Victorian Government for the redevelopment, as well as funding to deliver critical support services for the residents.
- $7.1 million in funds have been raised from our key philanthropic and corporate partners including: the Ian Potter Foundation, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Gandel Foundation, Portland House Foundation, Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, the William Buckland Foundation, the Hansen Little Foundation, Erdi Foundation and PWC.
How will Make Room integrate smoothly and safely into the neighbourhood?
When residents move in from early 2025, Unison Housing will provide 24/7 security services on-site at Make Room, focusing on safety and engaging with residents in a strengths-based, client-centred approach.
Unison Housing and our partners will:
- Provide reception services for residents and visitors.
- Implement rooming house rules, including visitor check-ins.
- De-escalate any conflicts and tense situations.
- Coordinate responses for any after-hours incident.
Security staff will collaborate with Victoria Police and other emergency services as needed and will receive trauma-informed training to support residents compassionately and sensitively.
We recognise that neighbours and businesses near any new supportive housing may have questions and want to know more about how we will support them to introduce this important initiative. We will continue to work closely with neighbours and businesses and will provide an opportunity for neighbours to visit the building and ask the Project Team questions about Make Room.
Who do I contact if I have feedback about Make Room?
If you have feedback about Make Room once it is tenanted, you can contact Unison Housing External link.
